Mostly January Stuff

So, here's a mish mash of pictures from more of January and I'll provide some explanation and some extra tid bits about the boys at the end.

Dexter's 'family' birthday party was on Sunday, January 11th. It was a really big turn out. It was so nice to get to see everyone, as we didn't get to see everyone at Christmas. The guest list was...
Cousin Michelle (pictured above letting Dexter walk away) and her guy, Dave.
Cousin Shauna with baby-Ethan
Cousin Alina
Cousin Lisa and her fiance Mike
Cousin Theresa
Cousin Mike
(all my cousins)
My Auntie Brenda and Uncle Al
My Uncle Len and Auntie Jacqui
Grand-Dan
Gram and Papa
Auntie Kim and Uncle Paul
Richard and I, of course, and AJ

Below, is a pic of AJ and Dexter VERY excitedly looking at the Car Transporter from Auntie Brenda and Uncle Al. Both boys love this.
Thank you to all who came and thank you too for the gifts! Dexter has been playing like crazy. He even vandalized my hallway with the Tadoodles from Richard and I. He walked down the hall dragging the egg shaped marker down the hall.


Here are some pics from the 'friend' birthday the day before.
Here's the one year old Dexter offering to share some cake!


Here he is not eating his cake!!!???
Why????
He was pooping.

So, here's my party pooper.
Mmmmmm, lunch. Yes, I made sure he ate lunch BEFORE his cake. I'm so mean.

Gram wanted to make sure that Dexter got to have the same fun as the big kids. She took him way up high, climbing.
When I look at pictures of Dexter, I see myself as a baby. Am I the only one who sees this?

This is AJ the night before, helping Kim and I with decorating. He's enjoying a some chocolate cake and chocolate icing.


Kim helped make sure the cakes got done the night before.
Here's our treasure chest. Auntie Kim did exactly what I wanted.

Here's the Jolly Roger 'no dairy' cake for Dexy and Auntie Jen.

Here are Auntie Jen and Auntie Erica entertaining Jen's twins, Emerson and Jaxon. Auntie Erica brought Jack, but she was Baby-Rya-Free that day.

This is my pirate picture of Dexter for the invites.
They were made to look old and treasure mappish. You know, like washed with a tea bag and burn the edges kind of thing.
Thank you to all of our friends who came to Dexter's first birthday party and thanks for all the cool gifts and gift cards! Thanks so much to...
Auntie Erica and Jack
Auntie Jen, Allison, Makenna, Emerson, and Jaxon
Sharon, Sean, Emily, and Claire
Nancy, Carl, and Ava
Ryan, Wes, and Charlie
Uncle Tarrie, Adam, Matt, Jenny, Erin, and Lauren
Jill, Daryl, Kevin, Michael, and Ashley
Gram, Papa, Auntie Kim and Uncle Paul
I feel like I'm missing a couple people. Hopefully, I'll fix that by tomorrow.

A big thanks again to Auntie Kim (and Uncle Paul) for all the set up. And thanks to my family for all the clean (and anyone else who helped- auntie erica).





Here's our trip to the zoo on the 15th, Dexter's real birthday. We hadn't been in sooo long. I was so keen to go. Erica brought Jack and Rya and Jen had Emerson and Jaxon only that day. It got a little too cold, so Auntie Erica and Auntie Jen took off and me and my boys stayed for some lunch, swings, and a look in the vivarium. AJ really liked the vivarium this time. He was very interested. He looks upset swinging in this picture but he's actually yelling to me "Another underduck, please!!!"
Here's Dexter. He was so good to stay in the stroller for so long that day. He's eating a bagel.

Here is Dexter crashed on the way home. So sweet. Look at him! So chunky and delightful. Eat him up!
Here's AJ crashed on the way home. Please note the pen is still in his hand for his 'doodle art'. He loves that thing. Thanks Auntie Brenda for another great gift!!! If you look closely, you can see the car he drew on the way home.

Here's a picture from the family birthday party of AJ 'chillin' with Uncle Paul.

Here's AJ tumbling around in the baby/toddler area at the playcentre for Dexter's birthday party.


Okay, I just love this picture that AJ drew. Now, it isn't as impressive as you think it is. You're thinking he drew like cartoon character eyes, right? Yah, I know. That's why I love it so much. It's like he's going to start his own comic strip soon. In fact, those are little black eyes, and he's drawn glasses on them. Hence the big circles and the line across them. But man, it's so cute. Look at the hair, and the smile. No room for legs or arms here, but whatever, it's cute cute cute.

This is me taking a picture of AJ's great colouring. He's all about staying in the lines... the eyes and the horn looking things. Sorry it's blurry. Not sure what went on there.

Here are AJ and Dexter playing the most fun game of all...
"What did Daddy bring home from the grocery store? Let's dump it out!"


So, I think I left off after our very busy weekend.
Here's what's gone on since then.


On Monday, the 19th, AJ lied.
Now, this isn't new. He's inadvertently lied many times. Partly because of misunderstanding. For instance, "AJ, are you finished your breakfast?"
"Yes."
But he's not. He probably means that he doesn't want any more, but I was in fast asking him if he finished it all up like I asked him too.
So, this day, I said, "Did you finish all your breakfast?"
And he said, "Yes."
I said, "I'm going to come see this!" (I was excited. I believed him.)
He stops me at the kitchen doorway and says, "Noooo! Don't come in here. Don't look at my breakfast. You can't come see my cinnamon toast."
I said, "Why can't I see? You said you're done."
He says, "No, you go in the living room. I'll be back in just a second."
What a bum. He lied. Then tried to cover it up! Oh dear!
Yet, I'm impressed by his cleverness.

On the 20th of January, Dexter was trying so hard to get up onto the couch. I'm not encouraging this in the least. I'm dreading the day I can't leave him alone in the living room for even a moment for fear of him falling off the couch. Granted, he can get off the couch safely when he's trying to get off the couch. But that's not when the fall happens. The fall happens when he turns around and just wants to sit on the couch, but places his bum where there is no couch.

On the 22nd, we realized just how much Dexter studies our eating habits. He really really wanted a fork. I have pickle forks for AJ, I guess they're called. Anyhow... he can totally use a fork. He carefully lines it up over the carrot he wants or PB sandwich piece and stabs down and brings it to his mouth. He's better with a fork than a spoon!
This same day, Dexter shows me how he can reach the top of the counter, so we need to be extra careful about what we place at the edge of the counter now.
This was also the day that AJ gave Dexter one of Dexy's new Tadoodles and he walked down the hall writing a big wiggly line on the wall.

On the 23rd, we went to Mill Lake with Jen and her kids. It was a little chilly, but the kids had fun. The babies had fun crawling all over the toddler town play structure. Dexter really likes the slide now. He was all over that thing trying to climb up and sliding down. He's now not only crawling up the stairs of the different levels, but he was walking up the steps holding the wall.
I wish I had brought a camera. All the kids were on the swings at one time... Makenna and AJ on the big kid swings, Dexter in a baby swing, and Jaxon and Emerson back to back in a baby swing. It was cute.

Saturday, the 24th, Dexter was observed by Richard, standing up in the middle of the hallway. I hadn't seen this yet. So, now he can get up to standing without holding anything and then just takes off.

Sunday, the 25th. AJ's asking more and more about words. Even though he can write letters individually and his name, when he writes a word it's a bit different. He likes to 'label' things like he sees me do or sees in books. Like, he'll draw a car and then say, "This says car." And he's jotted down a few lines quickly to look like word. It's funny. I'm hearing more and more, "What does this say?" When he 'jots' something down. Or "Does this say car?"
So, I drew him a car with the letters C A R inside as part of the shape of the car. Well, evidently, today, when Auntie Kimmy was babysitting the boys, AJ was drawing cars and writing ARC or RCA or CAR on the page with the picture.

Monday, the 26th.
When I came home, I was colouring AJ's big WALL-E colouring book with him. He was pointing to the word "WALL-E" on the character and asked, "Does this say, 'WALL-E'?"
I said yes and he started writing out the letters for the word... W A L L E. I took a picture, but it's not loaded yet. It's really great. The E has way too many lines, but once I told him 'top middle bottom', then he was set.

Oh yes, and reading my friend, Jodi's blog, reminded me to mention that Dexter 'drives' cars around. I may possibly have already mentioned this a month or two ago, but I don't think so. They must learn it from an older brother because AJ didn't do this for a long time. Dexter takes the toy cars, which he LOVES by the way, and he makes a car noise, and if there's a track it's all the better. He will drive that car all over the track. I should record this. It sweet. Dexter going, "Brrrrrrrmmmmmrrrrrmmm".

Okay, that's all I can think of right now.

Sonja C